Smoke-consuming furnace.



G. E. WELLS.

SMOKE ooNsUMING rUnNAos. APPLIUATION FILED JULY 9,1910. 974,322, Patented Nov. 1,1910.

2 SHEETS-'SHEET 1.

G. E.V WELLS.

SMOKE ONSUMING FUBNE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED JULY o, 1010.

Patented NOV. 1, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.'

Summen/bor,

GEORGE E. wnL'Ls, or DAYTON, OHIO.

SMOKE-CONSUMING FURNACE.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Application filed July 9, 1910. Serial No. 571,242.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE E. WELLS, a

. citizen of the United States, residing at Dayfication.

`fire box to assist in ignitin This. invention relates to improvements in smoke consuming furnaces. p

The object of the invention is to provide in a fire box means for uniformly distributing fuel, and intermingle with the fuel a supply of steam and air to assist in promoting'the combustion sufficient to consume the molecules of smoke.

A further object of the invention is to arrange'in the furnace, means for directin the products of combustion around the wal of a flue to insure the proper heating of the the escaping gases to consume the molecu es of gas.

A further object of the invention is to provide s ecial means for automatically delivering nel of substantially uniform size to a feeding mechanism to materially assist in promoting the combustionand breaking the molecules of gas so as to permit the steam and air introducedinto the fire box to mix with the green fuel.

The invention also comprehends improveinents in the specific details of construction and the arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved smoke consumer, applied, Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation, Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fi 1.`

1 indicates a boer provided with a furnace 2, having vthe usual spaced walls 3.

4 indicates a -ire pot located in the furnace and which may be of terra cotta, fire brick, or other heat resisting material.

A partition 5 extends across the interior of the furnace and forms one wall of the fire box, andis rouiided at its lower edge 6, and on its rear surface it is curved 1n Ogee form, and is also curved on the under -side of its rearwardly projectin portion, the rear end abutting against t e end of the boiler 1, as indicated at 7. In the lower part of the partition 5, is embedded a feed water pipe 8, which extends through the sides of the furnace walls and is provided O11 one end with a cap and at its opposite end it communicates with a feed water pipe 9, provided with a check valve 10. The pipe 9 leads to a force pump or injector (not shown) for the pur ose of lntroducing water as will be described later on. Communicating with the pi e 8, are forwardly extending pipes or hol ow grate bars 11, which extend through the front wall of the furnace and then are bent upwardly, as shown at 12, and communicate with a head 13. From the head 13@ branch pipes 14 lead to the boiler 1, for introducing water thereto. The pipes, or grate bars 11, are supported by elbows 12, which extend from the inner side of the front of the furnace wall below the tire pot, and forwardly from the pipe 8. In addition to these Hanges, bent plpes 14, are provided to further support the grate bars and the latter are arranged in concave relation in cross section, to form a curved bottom for the fuel in the lire ot.

l ater is fed through the pipes 9 and 8 and is distributed throu h the various grate bars 11, which materiallgy assists in cooling the latter. In the passage of the water through the pipes and grate bars, it becomes heated, which assists in generating steam.

The tire ot preferably tapers toward the bottom as sliown in Fig. 1, and at or near its lower portion, just above the ate bars, is arranged a pipe 16, from which project a plurality of tips, such as lava or of other heat resistin material for the urpose of injecting to t e fuel a plurality ofpstreams of air to augment the combustion during the Operation of the a paratus. From the pipe 16, leads a pipe 1 which extendsV through the side wall of the furnace to an air pump (not shown) so as to force air under pressure to the fuel.

Extending through the front of the furnace and near the top of the fire pot, is a tube 17', rovided at its inner end with a downward y extending open end hood 18, located approximately over the center of the fire pot for the purpose of directin fuel to the latter. screw conveyer 19, to convey the fuel from a suitable hopper to the lire pot. Communicating'with the upper part of the tube 17 is a housing 20, in which is mounted a shaft 21 carrying a series of spaced apart revolving agltators 22, the fingers 23 of which Mounted in the tube 1 is a o o. through the latter, before being introduced break the lumps of fuel as the latter pass fromthe hopper to thev housing. A hopper between the teeth of the bar 27, and vcrush the lumps of coal into suitable size to be coni veniently conveyed through the tube 17 yso Extending upwardly through the bar 27 into the hopper, is a screen 30, which is spaced from the front wall of the housing and hopper, the space 31 so formed receiving the fine fuel passing through the screen and deecting the same past the agitatois and into the tube 17. A valve 32 may be provided for regulating the opening 25 that the amount of fuel introduced into the housing may be under perfect control. Thea'gitaf tors may be revolved by any suitable means.

Vertically disposed in the mouth of the hood 18,.is a tube 35, open at its bottom and provided on its upper end with a head 36,

and a stuffing box 37...` A pipe 38 connects with the head and leads to an air pump (not shown) to direct a supply ofv air downwardly into the tube. The tube 35 is adjustable vertically within the ire pot by any suitable means, but for the purpose of illustration, I have shown a rack bar 39 attached to the head'36, and a gear 40 meshes with said rack bar so as to move the tube up or down to regulate the admission of air aclcording to the lay ofthe fuel in the fire pot.

Passlng centrally through the stuiling box 37, in the tube 35, is a smaller 'tube 42 which *is spaced from the inner walls of the tube 35,

" and at its upper end it is provided with Aa head 43, with which communicates a pipe 44, which leads to the steamdome 45, of the boiler 1 to admit steam into the fire pot.A The end of the tube 42, terminates a short` distance above the open lower end of the tube 35, so as to inject the steam into the end of said tube 35 to mix with the air passin to the fuel. The tube 42, is vertically adi justable by any suitable means, but for the purpose of illustration, there is a rack bar 46, attached to the head 43, and with it meshes a gear 47. The gears 40 and 4.7 may be revolved'in any suitable manner, and if j desired means may be provided for holding the tubes 35, and 42 in adjusted position.

In operation, fuel is introduced in the hopper 24 and the finer particles pass throughthe sieve'30 into the space 31 and it passes the agitators 22, and into the tube 17. The larger lum s of fuel pass through the opening 25, an vcome into contact with the fingers of the agitators and the comb bar 27, I

and as the fingers revolve, the said` lumps of fuel are broken into smaller particles and fall through the opening in the top of the tube`17 and into the path of movement of the conveyer 19. The fuel is thus fedv by the conveyer 19, forwardly and it falls" through the opening in the hood 18 and is delivered to the center portion of the fire box. rIhe air from the series of nozzles or jets connected with the pipe 16, and the downward current, of air and steam from the projecting curved lug 51 on the inside wall i of the rear wall ofthe furnace. -The gases passing around the passageway ().necessa rily highly heat the partition" 5, which augments the combustion in the ire pot so that the fuel from the time it is introduced into the iire pot, is subjected to intense heat, which is sufiicient to consume the molecules of smoke and ignite the Sallie, so that little, if any, smoke gases escape through the tubes of the boiler.

The mixture of steam and air, augmented by the various jets of air so intermingles with the gases andthe products of combust1on, produces a result, which tends to ignite and consume the gases immediately they are liberated from the particles of fuel.

A door 52` in the front wall of thefurnace is provided for the pur ose of removing ashes from the ash pit or or gaining admission to the interior of the furnace to permit a mechanic to make repairs.

Both ends of the pipe 8 may be provided with an inlet pipe 9, and check valve 10. The water entering the pipe 8 atone end, and at the opposite lower part of thet boi er to cause the water to circulate. i

What I claim is: v

1. 'In a furnace, the combination with a casing, a 'fire-pot within the casing and `spaced from one end wall and the bottom thereof, to provide an exit flue for the prod ucts of combustion, a ate in` thebottom of the re pot a fuel casing extending into they fire pot, a conveyer in the casing, means for feeding fuel to thelatter casing, an air supply tube extending into the re pot and through the open end ofthe fuel casing, a steam pipe fitting within the a'ir supply tube, and means for introducing steam to the steam tube.

2. In a furnace, the combination with a casing, a fire pot within the casing 'and s aced from one end wall and the bottom t ereof, to provide an exit ue for theprod- 110 ipe 10, leads to the tic-ts ofl combustion, a grate iu the bottom of the tire pot, a fuel supply for delivering fuel downwardly to the center of thc tire, means for supplylng fuel to the delivery means an air supply tube extending in the tire pot above the level of the fuel, a steam pipe within and spaced from the inner walls of the air tube and terminating a short distance from the end of the latter, a plurality of jets near the'bottom of the fire pot, a pipe con necting the jets to supply a'ir thereto and means for adjusting the air and steam tubes.

3. In a furnace the combination with a casing, a transverse partition extending across the casing, the said partition being upwardly inclined on its front face and rounded on its bottom, the latter being spaced from the bottom of the casing, the rear surface of the partition being in the form of an ogee curve and spaced from the rear inner wall of the casing to form an exit t'lue for the products of combustion, a projection extending from the rear wall of the casing to provide a contracted portion in the flue, a re pot in the casing, the partition forming one wall of said tire pot, a grate in the bottom of the fire pot, a plurality of jets extending within the fire pot near the bottom thereof, a pipe. connected with the jets to supply air the-reto. a fuel easing e.\'- tending with the h're pot to deliver fuel downwardly in the same, and means adjaeent. the fuel delivery easing for introducing a mixture of steam and air to the fuel as it is delivered to the fire pot.

4. In a furnace, the combination of a casing, a partition extending across the casing `and spaced from one end and the bottom, a

municate, a boiler, pipes connecting the head and the boiler, a series of jets projecting in the tire pot above the grate, means for supplyinr the jets with air, fuel feeding means extending within the tire pot, a pipe passing through the end of the feeding means to supply the fuel with steam, a pipe surrounding the steam pipe to supply the steam and fuel with air, and means for independently adjusting the steam and air pipes in the fire pot.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a fire pot, a tube through which fuel is fed to the fire pot, the inner end of the tube being turned downwardly a pipe passing through the turned down end of the tube, means for supplyinef the tube with air, a pipe within and spaced from the air inlet pipe, and terminating some distance from the end of the latter, means for supplying the inner pipe with steam, means for independently adjusting the steam, and air inlet pipes in the furnace, a series of jet pipes in the tire pot below the level of 'the bottoms of the steam and air inlet pipes, and means for supplying air to the jet pipes.

G. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing, a tire pot therein, means for supplying a mixture of air and steam downwardly in the lire pot, an exit tlue for the products of combustion communit'fating with the bottom of the tire pot, fuel feeding means communicatine with the fire pot, the exit end of thefeeding means being in the plane of the ends of the means for supplying the steam and air, the fuel feeding means including a tube, a conveyer in the tube, a hopper and housing communicating with t-he tube, a series of rotary agitators in the housing, a comb extending across the housing to coperate with the agitators, and a screen spaced from the hopper and extending upwardly from the comb.,

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. WELLS, Witnesses:

WELLMORE B. TURNER, MASON CRABEL. 

